Statement on the administration’s decision to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program - DACA (Sept. 5, 2017)

Michigan State University joined its colleagues across higher education today in urging a prompt legislative response to President Trump’s announced ending of the DACA program next March.

MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon signed a letter circulating among Association of American Universities presidents and chancellors urging congressional leadership to immediately enact a permanent measure allowing DACA participants to remain in the United States without fear of deportation. She is also a signatory to similar letters sent to Michigan’s congressional delegation on behalf of the heads of the state’s 15 public universities.

Now that DACA’s status has been clarified and a deadline set, Michigan State has called on leaders in Congress to cooperate on a bipartisan plan to ensure, at a minimum, that protections currently afforded to undocumented students are continued.

Michigan State is dedicated to remaining a welcoming, inclusive community, including for undocumented employees and students. We believe our campus is strengthened by the ability to learn from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences, as it enriches the conversation and challenges us to grow and to think more broadly.

We believe that the nation’s competitiveness is likewise strengthened by the presence of this motivated and deserving group of immigrants. Those brought to the United States as children and who grew up in the United States, knowing no other country, should be allowed to pursue their dreams here and to contribute to our society. That is the right and fair thing to do, for them and for the nation.

Michigan State joined more than 600 colleges and universities last November in signing the Statement in Support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and our undocumented immigrant students. As the opening paragraph states: "The core mission of higher education is the advancement of knowledge, people, and society. As educational leaders, we are committed to upholding free inquiry and education in our colleges and universities, and to providing the opportunity for all our students to pursue their learning and life goals."

Michigan State’s support for these young immigrants, who are students at this and other universities, is unwavering. We will continue to support their aspirations as we monitor developments.